Movies

Aegon’s Conquest writer outlines his approach to new Game of Thrones prequel show

BBG News

Aegon's Conquest writer outlines his approach to new Game of Thrones prequel show

As a dedicated fan who has spent countless hours immersed in the intricate tapestry of Westeros and beyond, I find myself both exhilarated and apprehensive about the potential Aegon the Conqueror series. The thought of delving deeper into George R.R. Martin’s rich universe is a tantalizing prospect, yet the lessons from the controversial ending of Game of Thrones still linger in the back of my mind.

The hit TV show “Game of Thrones” ended in 2019, and since then, HBO has been working on two prequel series: “House of the Dragon” recently finished its second season, while “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is set to debut next year.

In George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series, there’s a rich, extensive backstory. HBO is considering additional spinoffs beyond the two already planned, although it remains uncertain if any from this group will be produced for television. One highly anticipated spinoff series focuses on Aegon the Conqueror, the initial Targaryen monarch of Westeros and the man who established the Iron Throne.

I can’t help but express my excitement over the potential of an Aegon series, particularly following the footsteps of “House of the Dragon.” Should this come to fruition, it would be rooted in George R.R. Martin’s book “Fire & Blood,” a meticulously crafted account of the Targaryen dynasty penned by Archmaester Gyldayn. Interestingly, HBO has recently enlisted Mattson Tomlin to spearhead this project, as he shared his insights about its progress on “Nexus Point News.”

Tomlin stated, “It all began with George’s actions, and I’ve recently had the opportunity to spend a considerable amount of time with him. There have been numerous instances where I felt like I was in a dream while reading Fire & Blood, underlining passages, and querying him about their meaning and context. Occasionally, I would press him for more detailed explanations when things seemed unclear to me. At other times, I would share my interpretations with him.”

But it’s really taking that text and treating it like it’s real history. That’s one of the things that my approach to it was to [that] Fire & Blood is written like a real history and these things happened. We know the history of Alexander the Great; we know the history of Napoleon. We know what the battles were. We know a lot of the people who died. We know in some cases what was said or what might have been said, but we don’t know everything. We don’t know all of it. We kind of have these flagpoles that tell us this is how we marched through history. But then also there’s that great quote that somebody much smarter than I said: history is written by the people who won. And so then there’s that as well. For me, it’s about making sure that I respect George and I respect the text. And then also, it still has to be a dramatic story. Those characters have to go on a journey; they have to change; they have to go from a beginning to a middle to an end. Figuring out how to do all of that with the clues that that textbook has left for me and go, okay, I’m going to interpret this very real history and try to make it a really vivid show that hopefully people love and don’t hate, doing the best I can.

This approach seems plausible to me, yet I must confess that my nerves are frayed after the season 2 finale of “House of the Dragon,” which I found to be quite a departure from Martin’s book and the essence of “Game of Thrones.” Hearing Tomlin emphasize that TV characters need to embark on a journey, change, and progress from a beginning to a middle to an end also gives me pause. Don’t get me wrong, most compelling stories involve character growth, but I hope Tomlin won’t feel compelled to significantly alter Aegon’s captivating life story to fit a certain narrative structure.

Well, let me clarify. I might be jumping the gun here, as we don’t know if the Aegon the Conqueror series will actually happen. If it does, though, I hope it fares well in its journey.

Currently, Mattson Tomlin’s latest creation, titled “Terminator: Zero,” an animated series within the “Terminator” universe, has just been released. You can watch all eight episodes on Netflix right now.

Read More

2024-08-30 17:42

Previous post Hearthstone patch 30.2.2 gets major Tidepool Pupil and Doomkin nerfs
Next post RGG Summit Scheduled For Next Month With What’s Next For Like a Dragon/Yakuza